Throughout the century, the ideal image of a woman has changed dramatically.
What is worse, what girls do to achieve this image can be physically and
mentally damaging. The image has changed: from Marilyn Monroe in
the 1950’s, who was voluptuous and a size 14 to Kate Moss in the 1990’s,
who was 5’9, and weighed a mere 100 pounds (Lague1).
In order to be properly informed about how a woman’s image has changed,
one must begin prior to the 1800’s. During the 1700’s, the ideal
woman was at least 170 pounds. Any woman that was not of this size
was deemed too thin and was usually not popular with the opposite sex.
Many believed that a heavier woman was healthier, and heavier woman were
better able to perform sexually (Brugberg-Jacobs 3). Being overweight
during these times also showed that a person acquired wealth and could
afford to eat large amounts.
In modern times, women feel it necessary to be tan. That was not
so until about this last century. Prior to the1800’s, many felt that
women of stature should spend as little time outdoors as possible.
Only laborers, or serfs often had tan skin. Women preferred to have
pale skin because it showed that they spent little time outdoors laboring.
Also, women were expected to have small, dainty hands and feet. Woman
who did not were thought to be masculine (Bumberg-Jacobs 4).
During the 1800’s, mothers and daughters a like cinched themselves into
corsets (Brumberg-Jacobs 17). Corsets were a type of bodysuit
that were laced up in the back. The purpose of a corset was to enhance
a woman’s breasts and hips, while at the same time making her waist as
small as physically possible. Women began wearing corsets at a very
young age. Girls began wearing corsets before adolescence to pass
through their childhood safely. During a girl’s adolescence, they
wore a corset to blossom with unresisted development. By wearing
a corset in these delicate stages, it was believed that she would arrive
into womanhood with a perfect figure. Although the corset enhanced a woman’s
figure, it had many dangers (Brumberg-Jacob 97). The corset
was responsible for withered muscles, broken ribs, and atrophied organs.
Despite this, women continued to wear corsets until about the 1920’s.
During the early 1900’s, women were introduced to the "Gibson Girl" look.
She was considered to be an ideal beauty. She had a swayed back and
an hourglass figure of accentuated hips and breasts, which was made by
a tight corset. For the first time, the skirt length was shortened.
Women exposed their ankles, and soon legs became one of the focus points
on a woman’s body (Bowen-Woodward 13).
The 1920’s brought many changes in women’s fashion. Many women began
cutting their long hair into bobs. There was also an introduction
of a hairless body. The new, modern image required a woman to have
hairless legs and underarms. To achieve this, women began to shave
and use other sorts of depilatories. Cosmetics also became acceptable
among young women. Makeup such as powder, lipstick, and eyebrow pencils
were very common among young women. Cosmetics were formally deemed
inappropriate for ‘nice’ young women (Bowen-Jacobs 27).
During the 1920’s, the skirt was shortened even more. It was now
acceptable for a girl’s ankles, calves, and even a glimpse of thigh to
be showing. A new dress called the Flapper was also introduced.
The Flapper was loose fitting and did not require a corset. In fact,
no breasts or hips were required during the entire era. Binding bras
were introduced to women who had larger breasts and wished to have a flatter
chest. A new-boyish-no-hips look became very popular. During
this time, home scales were introduced. Many women began to worry
about their weight, and slimming (now called dieting) became popular among
women.
The 1930’s and 1940’s did not bring many changes to what the ideal woman
was supposed to look like. Fashions, of course, changed but not dramatically.
There was one event that brought a change to many beaches. The first
two-piece swimming suits were introduced to young girls. The suits
were modest, but still considered provocative by some adults.
The ideal woman’s image changed dramatically in the 1950’s, mainly due
to the fame of one woman: Marilyn Monroe. She was an actress, a sex
symbol, and had a very voluptuous body. She had full hips, round,
pointed breasts, and a cinched waist. She also had long legs that
were shown by her short dresses. At the time, she was considered
to be a perfect size 14 (Bowen-Woodward13).
Although Marilyn Monroe was definitely not like any models today, being
severely overweight was still taboo. Being ‘fat’ was considered to
be a physiological problem. Young girls who were overweight were
offered ‘slenderizing’ to solve this problem. Acne was also considered
to be a physiological problem. Many companies began selling skin
products that promised girls clear skin and popularity. During the
1950’s, there was also an explosion of special clothing, designed mainly
for teens. Because many girls wanted to be voluptuous like Marilyn
Monroe, the most common sizes were between 10 and 16 (Brumberg-Jacobs 35).
The 1960’s brought a change in the opposite direction for a woman’s image.
In 1966, a British teenager named Twiggy appeared on the cover of a popular
magazine. Twiggy received her nickname from classmates because they
considered her too skinny. They had reason to believe this, Twiggy
was 5’7 and weighed a mere 92 pounds! Twiggy’s body was the opposite
of voluptuous Marilyn Monroe. Twiggy had a flat chest, no hips, and
what was called a boyish figure. Twiggy’s first appearance brought
many mixed thoughts. Many girls felt an obligation to diet when they
first saw her. Doctors noticed that upon her appearance, there was
a minor wave of eating disorders (Bowen-Woodward 13). Besides Twiggy’s appearance on the runway, there
were more changes that effected women during the 1960’s. Skirts were
thought to be out-dated and replaced by blue jeans. Prior to the
1960’s, jeans were thought to be inappropriate for young ladies to wear.
Traditional blouses were also out-dated; blouses were replaced with form
fitting, revealing T-shirts (Brumberg Jacobs 97).
In the 1970’s, women’s image changed again, but this time less dramatically.
A woman was to be very thin, but have breasts and some hips. A 1976
survey showed that an estimated 1% of all college and high school girls
had bulimia or anorexia (Schneider 8). Bra tops and low slung shorts
also became popular. These sort of fashions required a very thin
body, and showed America’s increase tolerance for extremely thin bodies.
These more provocative fashions came with Women’s Civil Rights movement
and the release of the Birth Control Pill (Bowen- Woodward 13).
The 1980’s is usually marked to the beginning of Fat-Phobia. It was
also the beginning of the term "thunder thighs." Men envisioned women
with perfectly-sculpted thighs, and women who were considered overweight
by peers were usually harassed. For example, a 16 year old girl was
kicked off her school’s marching band in 1984 for being too fat.
She was 5’4, and weighed only 124 (Brumberg-Jacobs 126). In reality,
for her to be considered even moderately overweight she would have to weigh
at least 157 pounds.
During the 1980s and modern day America, many men and women forget about
what happens to girls during puberty. Women have certain fat deposits
on their body different from men. Women have these fat deposits for reasons
such as childbirth. It is normal for a woman to have excess
fat on their breasts, thighs, abdomen, buttocks, and backs of arms.
In short, society tells girls that the natural curves that they receive
during puberty are ugly and unnatural (Bowen-Woodward 14).
The problems during the 1980’s have only worsened into modern day America.
Many popular models are more than 39% below their recommended body weight,
which is a symptom of anorexia. Kate Moss, a model in the 1990’s,
is often credited for introducing the "waif" look (Schneider 8). There
is a reason for models’ thinness. The clothing designers often design
fashions that require an extremely thin body. Most clothing is very
provocative, with low rise jeans, tight shirts, and barely-there swimwear
are popular among young.
Getting and maintaining the ideal image is not easy. The most popular
way to control your image is dieting. Although some forms of diets
necessary, many girls who are not overweight begin dieting at a young age.
Surveys show that 50% of nine year old girls have dieted because they think
they are overweight, and as many as 4% of high school and college girls
have bulimia or anorexia. Other surveys show that 50% of all women
are dissatisfied with their bodies and are on permanent weight control
diets, while 80% of all women have dieted at least once in their life (Schneider
8).
Another popular way for women to get the body or look that they always
dreamed of is plastic surgery. Women who believe they are overweight
often get tummy tucks or liposauction. Some models and actresses
like Pamela Andersen, have made breasts implants extremely popular among
young women. Women who believe that they are beginning to show their
age can also get face lifts to make them look younger. Another popular
surgery that many young women are trying is buttocks implants. Most
psychologists say that once a girl gets her first surgery, she feels empowered
because she has the power to change her own body. Most girls have
trouble stopping, and this way of thinking is not healthy mentally or physically
(Agresti 38).
In conclusion, it is easy to see that America’s ideal image of a woman
has changed dramatically. Young women of all ages have made, or will
make desperate attempts to look like the models they see on TV and in magazines.
However, many do not realize that no matter how hard they try they will
not ever be able to be Kate Moss or Cindy Crawford. The fact is that
only 2% of all people are born with model DNA. This means that many
girls will live their life never satisfied with their own body (Beland
97). Having examined out past ideals, we can only imagine what will
be the ideal female figure of the future.